


Neon Groves And LSD

by SatanicMothGirl



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Artist Gerard Way, F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 16:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18265511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SatanicMothGirl/pseuds/SatanicMothGirl
Summary: Sigrid Armstrong is your average girl...half of her family died leaving her traumatized and now she lives with her mom and stepdad. She runs into a group of kids from a famous "academy" and hits it off with one particular member. She then discovers that she has abilities.I have a version of this on Wattpad (same username)





	1. Part One

Sigrid Armstrong came from a normal family. Her dad, Stephen Armstrong, was an engineer. Her mom, Katie Jacobs, was a stay-at-home mom who occasionally cleaned houses or babysat the neighborhood kids. She lived in a fairly large apartment. There was enough room for her, her parents, and her younger sister Ida.   
Sigrid was born on October first of 1989. She was approximately seven pounds and two ounces. About a year later, her sister came along. She was born June eleventh of 1991. The two were inseparable from the minute they were introduced. Sigrid would often run around the house, tiny Ida would chase after her, her short legs struggling to keep up. The two would play "the floor is lava" when they were snowed in during winter, and during the summer they would go to the public pool. Their parents seemed delighted to take them anywhere their hearts desired.   
Soon their parents began fighting. It started just over little things, like leaving the lights on, or the bills being too high. Then it would escalate. On Sigrid's fifth birthday, her mother found out about her husband's secret affair. She wanted a divorce. Sigrid watched out the window as her mother threw all of her father's belongings off of the porch. He was crying and apologizing. He promised to be loyal, but she didn't believe him.   
Sigrid remembers going to court meetings to arrange custody schedules. Her mother got weekdays, while her father got to see them every other weekend. Sigrid didn't fuss. She liked her mother more anyways. Ida didn't complain if Sigrid didn't. The two girls knew to pack up their bags twice a month. They'd wait by the door until they saw the old pick up trunk pull out front. That was their cue to skip outside done the front steps, their Barbie backpacks swinging behind them.   
One day, a new face was in the car. It was a young woman, about twenty-seven. She introduced herself as May. Sigrid and Ida shook her hand to be polite but were skeptical. It turns out that there was no need for their skepticism. May was nice to them. She'd take them to the ice cream parlor when their father was busy. Shed often rent movies from the blockbuster down the street and make fresh popcorn for them to eat. The two children started to grow closer to May.   
Just after Sigrid's birthday, flames erupted. May locked the two young girls in a closet. Sigrid put her arms in front of Ida, who was crying. Sigrid could hear shouting and the sound of glass breaking. She peered through the shutters of the closet just as her father hit May. May went tumbling to the ground with a cry. Her father got a few more kicks out, hitting her in the stomach while she was down on the ground. Then Sigrid heard his shuffling footsteps approach the closet. Sigrid shoved Ida into the darkest corner and hastily threw clothes on top of her. This shut Ida up. The closet door swung open. A large hand grabbed Sigrid's forearm and pulled her from her safe place. May started shouting at him. This only angered him more.   
Sigrid tugged her arm away from her father. He tightened his grip. Tears started to form in her eyes as she tugged some more. He swung his arm and sent her flying into a wall. She slid down until she was laying on the ground. He approached her and reached an arm out. He squeezed her neck and drew the breath from the poor girl. She began kicking her legs in a last attempt to get away. Nothing was working.   
She heard a soft clicking from behind her father, followed by a bang. He fell down onto the shag carpet next to her. Sigrid shot up, covered in blood. She let out a scream. May pulled her away and covered her eyes. She was shoved back into the closet. The door was locked again. Sigrid was shell shocked. Her teeth chattered as she shook her head back and forth. Young Ida perked out from her pile of clothes. Ida reached out to grab her sister but got no response. Not even a flinch.   
May called the police. The two girls were removed from the scene and sent back home. Ida was told to go up to her room. Sigrid was taken into the bathroom. Her mother ran a bath and tried to clean the blood off of her little girl. Sigrid sat curled in a ball, rocking back and forth. She saw the shot every time she closed her eyes.   
Being that money was short, her mother couldn't afford a therapist. Instead, Sigrid was sent into the school counselor at random. They did their usual checks, they had her roll up her sleeves, but that was about it. Her friends, or more like just friend, started shifting friend groups. Sigrid was now alone, save for the few times she saw Ida in the hallway.   
Ida didn't understand the pain Sigrid went through. She didn't understand why her sister was different. They no longer jumped on the furniture to avoid a fiery death, they didn't even visit the pool. Sigrid sat alone for the majority of her young life. She started devoting time to comic books. She read about superheroes and how they can save people. Her favorite was Death from the Sandman comics. Sigrid loved the way the character looked. She even started drawing herself as Death. She started wearing more black in an attempt to be more like her.   
Then at the age of fourteen, she stumbled across the story of real-life superheroes. A group of kids called the Umbrella Academy who were all born the same day as her. This got her to start fantasizing about what her powers would be. She couldn't decide between teleportation like Five, or rumors like Alison has.   
She started helping around the house more as a way to get money. Once she had enough, she would walk down to the local comic book shop and buy the latest edition of The Umbrella Academy. This was about the time when she had to move into a smaller apartment due to money reasons. She moved into a building just up the street from the academy, but she didn't know this at the time.   
She continued to help out with chores, but the allowance started to disappear. Sigrid didn't complain and understood why. She started selling her comics to bring in more money, but it wasn't enough. Sigrid's mother could barely afford to put food on the table. The two girls understood why, and they tried to ration out their food when money was tight. They sold unneeded furniture and toys as a way to get more funds, but it just wasn't enough.   
Then something happened.   
It was during summer, a heat wave had just passed through town. Sigrid's building didn't have an air conditioner, so the two sisters and their mom went to the local pool. It wasn't busy, odd but not uncommon. The two girls stayed near the end of the pool. They talked about normal kid stuff as they splashed around and waded in the shallow end. A group of college boys at the center of the pool was causing a bit too much commotion. Sigrid called it for them to be quiet. They didn't listen.   
They kept splashing around, moving water towards the two sisters who just wanted to relax. Sigrid started to panic, her throat closed up. Ida knew this was common. She told Sigrid to sit on the steps towards the entrance of the pool. That way she could calm down but still be cool. Ida swam over to the group and told them to quit, and that her sister was having a panic attack. The group laughed and continued playing.   
Ida was beginning to get impatient. She tapped one of the boys but got no response. Then an elbow went straight into her face. Being the small girl that she is, this knocked her out. Sigrid watched in horror as her sister went under. She was unable to speak or move. Every muscle in her body was paralyzed with fear. This was her sister. The girl she'd do anything for.   
A woman started screaming when Ida's busy surfaced. Everyone scrambled to get out of the pool. Sigrid's mother pulled her out of the water and dragged her along. Sigrid didn't stop looking at her sister. Sigrid sat alone in her room that night. She stared at Ida's bed. This brought her to tears.   
Sigrid's mother decided to sell Ida's furniture for more money. They weren't hungry anymore since there wasn't another mouth to feed.   
Sooner or later, Sigrid's mother met a man named Emmerson. He moved in with the two. He had a steady job and got his boss to employ Katie. They could afford to eat. They'd even go out to eat every week. Sigrid could wear nice clothes. She got new band tees and skinny jeans. Her room was redecorated to her liking. For her fifteenth birthday, Emerson bought her a record player along with all of her favorite albums. She was stoked. She'd put on a record and dance on her bed. Katie seemed to be happy that Sigrid was finally happy. They seemed to have it all.  
Until one night...


	2. Part Two

Sigrid's PoV  
November 18th, 2005  
I sat in Griddy's. It was late at night. Last time I looked at a clock, it said it was eleven. I was cramming for a test in History since I failed the last one. I stopped to admire the new ring I got for my sixteenth. Emerson and mom got it for me. Then back to studying. The Great Purges? Pshh yeah, I totally know what that is. What is that again? Oh right, Stalin killed a bunch of people because he felt like it. Now repeat that until it gets into my stupid long term memory. Onto the next topic!  
Agnes brought a fresh cup of coffee over for me. I gave her a smile and a nod.  
"Don't drink too much or else you won't be able to sleep." She waved a finger at me.  
"You know me. I make no promises." I grinned brightly. She chuckled as she walked away. I took a few sips from my mug and read through the next paragraph. I flipped on my headphones and turned on my Mp3 player to help me study. Marilyn Manson always does the trick. I nodded along to the beat as I skimmed through pages, not absorbing anything I was reading.  
I didn't pay attention to when my phone buzzed. I just tucked my Motorola RAZR away. It was probably Mom complaining that I was out too late and telling me that she wouldn't be on the phone if I tried to call. The front door jingled. I looked up and saw four kids walking through the door. I shrugged and went back to my book. I had to make sure I got this test down.  
Out of curiosity, I glanced up. The four kids looked to be about my age. They were in uniforms, but none of the schools around here require uniforms. Then I saw a patch. These were kids from the umbrella academy. I choked on my coffee. The kids looked back at me in confusion. I played it off as nothing and went back to my book, occasionally glancing up to see what they were doing.  
I was in the middle of trying to memorize something when I felt the table shift. I opened my eyes and saw a boy sitting across from me. I stopped myself from jumping back. I stared at him, questioning why he was there.  
"Studying is a lot easier when you have some of this." He pulled out a silver flask just enough for me to see. I wasn't a newbie when it came to drugs and booze. My friend has spare cigarettes that we smoked once while I was over at her place. I've gotten drunk and continue to do so on most weekends. Once again, my friend Taylor supplies.  
"I don't know. I kind of have to ace this or I'll fail the class." I laughed lightly. He leaned back and sighed.  
"Jeez. I didn't know. I thought you were just being uptight." He said as he took a sip from the flask.  
"Oh believe me. I'm not." I told him. He took the book from me and put it on the floor under the table.  
"non-uptight people don't study. Just chill." He grinned. "Can I?" He pointed to my mug. I nodded. He grabbed the cup and took a sip from it. Without swallowing, he dipped from his flask. He swirled the liquids together in his mouth and swallowed. I laughed as he pushed the mug back towards me. "Well I didn't get a yes to add this to your coffee, so I had to mix it myself." He shrugged and put his feet up on the table.  
"Fine. Go ahead. That just looks gross." I told him as I pushed the mug back to him. He poured in what I assumed to be whiskey and stuck his finger into the mix, stirring it around. "Uh use something clean!" I frowned.  
"Clean." He said as he licked his finger and stuck it back in the drink. He finished stirring and licked the excess drink from his finger. He pushed the mug towards me and I took a drink from it. I glanced over to the bar. A girl from the academy was looking at the boy and me. "Oh, that's Alison. The big blonde guy is Luther. The kid with brown hair is Diego. And I'm Klaus." He told me. I nodded.  
"I was a fan of the comics when I was anything but thirteen or so," I explained.  
"Oh, so you know us." He smiled and took a drink from the mug. I nodded.  
We continued to pass the drink back and forth. I told him the basics about myself. Just that I live with my mom and her boyfriend and other simple things. He talked about life at the academy. It seemed a lot less interesting than the comics made it seem. Alison passed by us.  
"Hey, Klaus. We're heading back home. Are you coming?" She asked him.  
"I think I'll hang out with Sigrid and come back when I want." He didn't look back at his siblings.  
"Fine...but it's your funeral." Luther shook his head and dragged Alison and Diego out of the store. Klaus laughed when they were gone.  
"It feels nice to get away from them." He sighed. "What are you doing after you leave here?"  
"I'll probably go back home. My parents are away on a short vacation. You can hang out at my place if you don't want to go back." I told him.  
"Really? You'd actually let me?" He smiled. I nodded.  
"Yeah. You seem cool."  
"Kids, we're closing." Agnes walked up to our table. I looked around at the empty restaurant. I nodded and got up from the table. Klaus handed me the book he took. I put the book back into my bag and left out the door with him.  
We started our journey up the street. We were swaying a bit and we couldn't stop giggling at everything. We saw a raccoon fall out of a dumpster and we had to stop on the sidewalk because I was laughing so hard that I felt like my sides were about to split. Klaus started laughing at me until he was down on his knees out of breath.  
We started sprinting when lights to apartments turned on. We had woken people. We cursed as we tried to escape any punishment from aggravated neighbors. Then we got to my apartment. We crawled up the fire escape until we got to the top apartment. Emerson had moved us into the penthouse when we had enough money to. I opened my window and fell onto my carpet. Klaus followed behind. He stood up and glanced around my room. I had band posters over my walls. He seemed to enjoy them. He was grinning.  
"It's cool in here. My room is pretty boring." He told me.  
"Oh hey, what music do you like?" I asked him. He shrugged. I decided to put on an album that I just got. It was A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. I put it on my record player and sat down on my bed. Klaus seemed to like it. He sat down next to me and we listened to the record together.  
"Do you have any booze?" He asked me.  
"No, but I have weed. My friend got it for me. She said it would help with nerves. I haven't tried it out. Maybe we could smoke it together." I told him. He nodded. I reached over to my nightstand and got out a Ziploc bag and a bible. I ripped out a few pages of the Bible and used it as papers. I rolled two blunts and grabbed a book of matches. He grabbed one of the blunts and held it in the corner of his mouth. I lit his first, then mine. I shook the match until it went out and flicked it into my trash bin. I took a long drag and exhaled. I started coughing. He placed a hand on my back ad I hunched over. I could hear him laughing.  
"That's what it's like for everyone. Just wait for it to pass." He told me. I was kind of used to it since I've smoked cigarettes before. I sat back up and started breathing normally again. I held the blunt in my left hand and propped myself up with my right elbow. Klaus laid back as I was. He blew smoke into my face and laughed. I lightly pushed him. "Sorry." He frowned.  
"It's okay." I smiled at him.  
"Oh, what did you mean by nerves?" He asked.  
"I...just kind of saw some messed up shit growing up. I get panic attacks just thinking about it." I exhaled out the corner of my mouth.  
"Elaborate..."  
"I don't mean to get heavy, but I saw both my dad and my sister die," I told him. He seemed shocked.  
"Is your sister brunette?" He asked. I turned to look at him.  
"She looks like me," I told him. He seemed intensely focused on something. I looked to where he was looking. It was just the wall.  
"She says hi. Well and she's also kind of pissed that you're smoking." He took a drag of the blunt. I raised an eyebrow at him. "I can conjure the dead. Do you not remember from the comics or whatever you'd read?" It hit me. He's the séance. That means he can see the ghost of my sister.  
"Tell her to get lost. It's bugging me." I sighed.  
"She heard you. She's kind of pissed." He chuckled and took a drag. "Oh shit wait where did she go?" He shot up. I pulled him back down.  
"Stop. If she's gone then she's gone. Just chill." I told him. He smiled and looked me in the eyes. He started to lean in. I wasn't expecting this, but I knew what to do. I moved a little towards him. He ran his fingers through my hair and pulled me closer. Just then, the record stopped. We froze.  
"Should you get that, or can we continue?" He asked.  
"Well if we've already stopped then I might as well flip the damn disc." I slammed my fist down onto the bed as I got up. I flipped the record and crawled back onto my bed. "At least tell me you dig my music." I nodded to the beat.  
"Yeah. I like it." He smiled and leaned in once more. I placed my hand on the side of his face. Just as our lips touched, his eyes flashed purple and he fell limp onto the bed.  
"What the fuck?!" I shouted. I figured maybe it had something to do with a ghost or whatever. But why the fuck would it happen now!? Great way to ruin my first kiss...  
"What happened?" The window opened and Alison stepped into my room. I was too high for this nonsense and I wasn't thinking straight.  
"How the hell did you get in here?!" I asked her.  
"Um, I just kind of wanted to see how this would play out. I was leaving once I saw you two kiss, bit then you screamed." She explained.  
"Yeah because he freaked out and went like this!" I gestured to Klaus who was now reaching up at something on the ceiling.  
"Okay. Just help me get him back to the academy." She sighed. I pulled the blunt from his mouth along with mine and tried to get him to sit up. He was able to do that, so I got him to stand up. He was unstable and leaned on me with almost all of his weight.  
"We won't be able to use the fire escape. There's an elevator we can use instead." I told her. We left out my room and slowly made it to the elevator down the hall. An elderly couple got in on the fourth floor and glared at the three of us. When the doors open, Alison helped push Klaus out of the elevator. His knees buckled and we had to carry him the rest of the way. Luther and who I assumed was Reginald was waiting on the front steps of the academy. Reginald stopped me and had Luther take my part.  
"Young lady...can you explain to me what happened?" He asked. I told him the full story and how I thought it was Klaus's powers that did that to him. "No. Actually, it was you." He told me.  
"What?" I couldn't think for a minute. There was too much on my mind. My mom told me I was normal every time I tried to say I was a superhero just like the umbrella kids. She couldn't have lied all those years.  
"When you were born, I tried to convince your mother to let me take you. She said no, no matter how much the offer. You, my dear, have powers. I don't know what they are yet, but I will find out."


	3. Part Three

I was shocked. It seemed as though my fantasies were coming to life. Reginald placed a hand on my shoulder and lead me through the house. I got looks from the other kids. This was most likely due to not being in uniform. I was in a My Chemical Romance tee with black skinny jeans. I had heavy eyeliner and the left side of my head was buzzing. I nervously bit my lip ring as he told me to stand in front of a table. He left me, only to return with a rat in a small cage. He set the rat on the table.   
"I want you to try and use your powers on the rat." He instructed me. At that moment I didn't know if it was my kiss or just my hands that could make people freak out, but I wasn't putting my mouth on a rat, so I held out two fingers and placed them along the rat's back. I saw a flash of purple and the rat was laying on its stomach.   
I stepped back, shocked at what I had just done. I ran my fingers through my hair and my vision turned to colors and figures that looked like they were pulled from a seven-year-old's imaginary land. I felt my body hit the hardwood, but all I saw was miles of bluegrass that I was laying in. I tried to reach up at pieces of burning ash drifting through the air. I saw Alison standing next to me. She called out to me, but I couldn't speak.   
-*-  
I woke up on a couch. I received some curious glances from kids. Klaus handed me a glass of water and ibuprofen. I was surprised that he was up. Then the headache hit. Like someone shoved scissors up my nose. I winced and swallowed the pill without needing water.   
"Jesus, what the hell happened?" I asked. I looked at my hands. Someone put leather gloves on me.   
"You basically made yourself trip acid. Diego gave up a pair of his favorite gloves to make sure you wouldn't trip again." Klaus explained with a slight laugh. Reginald cleared his throat and glared at Klaus. Klaus frowned and looked down at his feet.  
"Well thanks for the gloves and ibuprofen, but I want to get home now. A warm bed seems perfect right about now." I got up off the couch. My legs buckled under me and I dropped the glass. I shook my head in an attempt to gather myself before standing up again. I waved goodbye and quickly made my way out the door. I traveled up the street in the wind, clutching at my bare arms.   
A man who looked to be about thirty-seven approached me.   
"A girl like you shouldn't be out this late. How about you-"  
"I won't do anything you tell me to, asshat." I cut him off and tapped my fingers to his forehead. He fell limp to the ground. I smirked to myself and sped up the pace as I walked back to my apartment. I got up the fire escape with little difficulty. My window, being left open, took no difficulty to crawl into. I got under the sheets as soon as I got into my room. I didn't bother closing my window because Klaus or Alison could possibly show up and at this point, I didn't feel like turning away an opportunity for a friendship or something.   
I wasn't expecting friendship to turn up in the middle of the night though. I felt some shuffling at the foot of my bed, but I didn't think anything of it. Then a weight sunk down into the mattress. I opened my eyes and tried to scream, but Klaus put a hand over my mouth. I pushed his hand off of me and laughed.   
"Kind of creepy to sneak into a girl's bedroom at three in the morning," I told him as I turned on a light. I gave him a smile, but it disappeared when I saw his tear-stained cheeks. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. "Klaus, what happened?" I asked softly.   
"Reginald...he started yelling at me. He just kept asking me why I can't be as well behaved like the others. He called me stupid and said that-"  
"You're not." I pulled back and gave him a smile. "Don't believe him. He's an old rich dick." I pressed a soft kiss to his temple.   
"Can I stay here for tonight? Just until Reginald calms down." He asked. I nodded.   
"Of course. You can come here whenever you want." I told him. I reached out to touch his face but pulled back. I was too scared that I'd hurt him or something. He grabbed my wrist and placed my hand on the side of his face.   
"It's fine." He told me with a smile. "You can control your powers."  
"I just found out I have powers tonight! I don't know how it works!" I raised my voice. He quickly snatched up my other hand and placed it on the other side of his face.  
"You aren't doing it now." He raised an eyebrow.   
"Yeah because I'm not as high as I was a couple of hours ago!" I shook my head and took My hands back. I took the gloves off and placed them on my nightstand. He snatched my hands up once more and put them on his face.   
"We'll work on your powers. I promise I'll help you learn how to control them." He said softly. I nodded and looked down. He leaned in, but I was internally panicking which led me to shout.   
"I made your rat trip!" I started crying. My hands didn't leave his face, partly because he was gripping my wrists rather tightly. He started laughing as he continued to lean in. He kissed me quickly and pulled back with a smile on his face.   
"I don't care about the rat. I was going to use it to scare Diego. Not that important." He told me. I sighed.   
"This night has just been too chaotic," I told him.   
"I get it. You should go back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you." He roughed up the top of my hair. I laughed and pulled back the covers for him.   
"I have a feeling that you could use some sleep too," I told him. He crawled under the covers with me and fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow. I pulled the covers up to my chin and basked in the warmth of another body alongside me.


	4. Part Four

Sigrid and Klaus were practically inseparable for the rest of their adolescent years. Sigrid started regularly going to the academy for training, but the two friends would often sneak out at night and explore every dark corner and alleyway of the city. They'd step over needles and piles of trash whenever Klaus felt like dragging Sigrid to something cool he saw. Most of the time it was something simple. Sigrid didn't mind because she was spending time with her best friend.   
At age seventeen, Klaus showed up at the house with a bag of white powder and a bottle of whiskey he stole from wherever. Sigrid was stubborn at first, but curiosity got the best of her and she sampled the drug. The two got high and passed out on the floor after arguing about if pineapple really belongs on pizza.   
The morning after that, the two were scrambling down the fire escape as Sigrid's parents angrily shouted at them. The pair laughed off the slight hangover and sleep deprivation as they searched for a new place to call home for the meantime. They found an alleyway where a few other kids around their age were. These were kids who had run away from home, some had been kicked out by their parents after coming out. Klaus and Sigrid fit in well. That was the first time they tried heroin. There were also other firsts that occurred that night.   
Sigrid knew she had dug herself a hole. She swore never to go as far as heroin, but yet there she was...shooting it up into her veins. After it wore off, she pulled Klaus aside. She started panicking and saying that she didn't want to end up on the streets forever. So they agreed to go back home. Klaus followed behind Sigrid. He didn't feel like returning to the academy. Sigrid's mother was the only one home. Emerson had left to a bar to 'clear his thoughts as Katie put it. They were safe to sleep in Sigrid's room for the night.   
At age eighteen, after living at the academy for a month straight, Klaus couldn't take it anymore. H packed up everything and climbed the fire escape. Sigrid was hanging up a flag when she heard a thump. It was Klaus grinning brightly as he sat his bag down. He questioned her about the flag. That's when she confessed to him. She told him that she figured out that she's pansexual. He didn't understand, so she explained it to him. His only response was "I think I am too..."  
They flipped through magazines and rated how attractive they thought the models were, guys or girls. Then Klaus mentioned how he wished he dressed like one of the female models who was dressed in a mesh shirt and ripped jeans. Sigrid turned to him with a grin.   
They took a cab to the mall. Sigrid spent nearly all of her allowance on Klaus's new wardrobe. He liked to shop in mainly the women's section. Sigrid didn't say anything. A few young boys shouted slurs at them. Sigrid kicked one in the shin but instantly regretted it when the mother of the boy started shouting at them.   
"Boys shouldn't dress like that anyway! I don't get why you're being so stubborn!" She shouted.   
"Not everyone has to live up to the stereotypes that were engrained into your tiny pea brain, Karen. Now teach your kids some proper manners before someone bigger than me ends up kicking them." Sigrid hissed. Klaus giggled as he continued looking through a display of leather pants. The mother gasped and removed her and her kids from the store.   
They checked out and a male cashier started flirting with Klaus. Klaus gave a look to Sigrid. She just nudged him and encouraged him to go at it. The two young men exchanged numbers. Sigrid was bouncing up and down as they walked back to her apartment. Klaus stared at the piece of paper with the number on it.   
"Will we still be able to be friends if I get a boyfriend?" He asked. Sigrid raised an eyebrow.   
"Why would anyone cut off their friend to get in a relationship, Klaus. We'll still be best friends no matter what. I won't love you any less if I get a girlfriend or a boyfriend. You'll still be able to live with me if you want. And if they tell you to cut off ties, then run." She put a hand on his shoulder. He sighed and smiled as he put the number in his pocket.   
At twenty the two were caught by cops and arrested for nonviolent marijuana charges. Sigrid was crying in the back of the car. The cop yelled at her to shut up. For the next fifteen months, she didn't speak. She only ever talked to Klaus, but she couldn't see him often. After seven months in jail, the two were sent to a rehab facility. They obviously had to stay in separate wards otherwise they wouldn't improve. The second they were released, Klaus kissed her goodbye and headed for the alleyways to find whatever he could. Sigrid went back home to her apartment.   
Emerson had died at that point. Cancer got the best of him. Her mother had advanced lung cancer and was in hospice care now. She had a hospice worker with her at all times. At this point, it was a waiting game. Sigrid got dirty looks from the worker as she entered the apartment.   
"Sigrid. Come over here." Her mom said weakly. Sigrid obliged. Her mother weakly told her that she was being taken to the hospital for checking and that she loved her. Sigrid, being under the influence, didn't fully understand but nodded. She fell asleep in her room and got the news when she woke up. Her mother went into cardiac arrest but had told the doctors not to revive her if it happened. Sigrid hung up the phone and sobbed into her pillow. Klaus was gone and she felt alone for the first time in a while.   
Despite having enough money to live well, Sigrid ate like she was a poor college student. She was also kind of known as a dealer now, except she was actually using her powers to get people high. Junkies would pay her thirty bucks for a trip. She used this money to get stuff from other dealers, or just some fast food. She'd return to her empty apartment and sit on her bed listening to music. She'd often hear her window open and her face would light up. Klaus would climb onto the bed and pull her close. They said nothing but instead enjoyed the company before Sigrid would use her powers to get them both high as a way to relieve any stress.   
This pattern continued. Klaus was now frequently visiting, only to beg Sigrid for a trip. He'd offer up pills or edibles in exchange. Sigrid gladly accepted and gave in. She'd then offer him food or a shower when he woke up.   
They got put into rehab again. It was at a time when Sigrid was really needing a fix. She previously thought that her powers only worked when she was high, but she channeled her energy until she could call it on at any moment. The rehab kicked her out and said she had no hope. It was probably against protocol, but she had the ability to get high whenever she wanted.   
Years passed and her bad habits continued. She was barely sober now. Drugs started as an escape from her nerves, but she was so high that she could barely feel those nerves anymore. Now she just took everything she could to try and replicate that first initial sip, snort, or smoke.  
She was alone in her flat when she got the news. Klaus used the door. Something was up. He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her.   
"Reginald is dead."


	5. Part Five

Sigrid's PoV  
"The fuck? When did you find out?" I asked as I took a drag from my cigarette.   
"Like...now." He put his head in his hands. I scooted over and sat him down in the recliner alongside me. "There's a funeral or something." He mumbled. I hated seeing him like this. He acted this way when he broke up with that one guy who took all his money.   
"You should get cleaned up for the funeral." I placed my hand on the side of his face and stroked his cheek with my thumb.   
"Can you go with me?" He pulled his puppy dog eyes. I sighed and nodded. He grinned brightly and kissed me on the cheek. "Great. I'll wash up and then we can go." He got up from the seat and blew me a kiss. I laughed and got up to rummage through my closet. I tapped a finger to my chin as I looked through my options.   
"On one hand, I want to be nice...on the other, he was a dick and I shouldn't dress up," I mumbled to myself as I pulled out a pair of ripped jeans and fishnets. I grabbed a cropped shirt that I think belongs to Klaus and pulled the full outfit together. Klaus danced through the door with a towel wrapped around himself.   
"Nice. Wearing my shirt." He pouted. I laughed and pulled out my phone. I looked through Tumblr as he got changed. I looked back to see him in my mesh top, a pair of his leather leggings, and a coat that we both fought over. I gave him a thumbs up. He grabbed a thing of eyeliner from my vanity. I used it practically every day and I didn't want him to break it. I sighed and let him have it.   
"Are you done yet? You take forever." I asked him. He grabbed one of my duffel bags and threw in some clothes and the stick of eyeliner.   
"I mean it's for if we get too tired to come back up here or something." He told me.   
"Or maybe you're just lazy," I smirked. He shrugged and we headed out my window. He slung the bag over his shoulder and took my hand. He hesitantly pushed open the gates when we got there. I opened the door for him. We were greeted by Pogo who made a remark about how similar Klaus and I dress or something. Klaus pushed past him and took me into Reginald's office where he began rummaging around for money or stuff to pawn. I sat on the desk and made some snarky remarks about the old man.   
"Oh, I guess you two never stopped hanging out." Alison laughed lightly as she entered the room.   
"I guess so." I shrugged. "I'll get going so you can talk to your sister," I told Klaus. He seemed slightly panicked and he attempted to snatch my wrist. I just kissed him on the cheek and skipped out of the room, waving goodbye to Alison.   
I ran into Diego who smiled and waved at me.   
"You still hanging around Klaus?" He asked.   
"Yeah. He's my best friend." I told him as I sat down on the couch.   
"Well, it's great to see you again. I still remember the day you stopped visiting the academy. Reginald was so pissed. He thought you had potential or something." He chuckled.   
"That's what a lot of people think until they spend actual time with me." I grinned. Diego seemed to shut up. I whipped out a cigarette and lit it up. He walked away. Klaus shuffled out of the room and sat down on the couch next to me.   
"Help me hide this." He pulled out some orange box from his coat. I laughed and rushed upstairs, he followed behind. I took the box and shoved it in a desk drawer in Klaus's old room. I looked around. Plain.   
"It's so..."  
"Shitty." He chuckled. "Old man could afford to buy seven kids but couldn't get us some decent beds." Klaus plucked the cigarette from my mouth and took a drag from it.   
"I mean he had priorities I guess?" I shrugged. "Oh my god is this a photo album?" I looked up at him with a grin.   
"Oh, I'll be taking that now." He said as he took the book and tossed it in a wastebasket.   
-*-  
I was beginning to feel...not entirely welcome. I was blamed for a lot of why Klaus became a druggie. Luther especially seemed to not want me around. That was my cue to leave. In the middle of a family meeting (one that Klaus made me join for "moral support") I got up and excused myself. Klaus followed me out of the room and begged me to come back in.   
"I don't belong here. I joined the academy at age sixteen. I'm the outsider next to Vanya." I told him.   
"But you're my outsider." He said as he pulled me close.   
"Listen...if you need me, just come up to the apartment. I don't want to invade or whatever." I shrugged.   
"Fine. But you owe me a trip." He shook a finger. I nodded.   
He made me say goodbye to everyone. I mumbled under my breath as he mimed my hands so it looked like I was saying goodbye. I then hugged him and left the house.   
It's not that I don't want to be a part of the academy, it's just that I don't fit. I don't know how families work because mine was broken from a young age. I've always resented my parents and never been able to connect with anyone in my family. My sister was the person I was closest to. Then she died and I never found a replacement. Klaus comes the closest. Maybe he's closer than Ida was. The fog of nostalgia kind of clouds my judgment when it comes to that. But I know the academy is not my family despite Klaus thinking that I fit in just fine.   
I get along well with Alison. Diego is pretty chill and I dig his wardrobe. The two of them are easy to talk to. Luther is like a big wall. He's too stubborn and focused on being the leader to do any good. Five, whom I just met, seems kind of bitchy. Vanya gets me the most next to Klaus. She performed a violin piece for me when I stumbled upon her room. I told her that I play guitar, but it isn't the same as the violin. She seems to be doing well for herself.   
I got up to my apartment and crawled in bed, falling asleep pretty quickly that night.


	6. Part Six

I got a call from five. Something happened to Klaus and he didn't know what to do. I pulled together a bag of various substances and headed over to the academy. Five was waiting outside.   
"He won't talk." He told me.   
'He'll talk to me. I'm sure of it." I told him. "We've been friends for most of our lives now."   
Five led me upstairs to a bathroom. Klaus was sitting alone in the bathtub. Blood covered his hands and he had a new tattoo.   
"He time traveled. I don't know when, though." Five whispered. I nodded and approached Klaus. He looked over at me and smiled. I got on my knees and moved to the edge of the bathtub.   
"Hey. How are you?" I asked him, reaching out for his hand. He pulled back.   
"I don't know." He said as tears started running down his cheeks. I reached out to try and wipe the tears from his eyes but decided against it.   
"It's okay to not know, Klaus," I told him. He reached out and grabbed one of my fingers, clutching it like a baby.  
"I don't know anything anymore." He started to cry. I held out my hand, too afraid to touch him.   
"Can I touch you?" I asked him. He sniffled and nodded. I slowly reached out and put my hand on the side of his face. He seemed to lose a bit of tension when I did that. He laughed and shook his head.   
"I'm a mess." His lip quivered. "Have I ever been this bad before?" He asked. I tried to think of a time.   
"The only time that comes close is when you tried to get clean when we were nineteen." I laughed just thinking about it. He chuckled lightly. I glanced back at five who seemed surprised. "Klaus, what happened?" I asked him. He broke down and started crying. I felt him place a hand on my cheek. He smeared blood and grime over my face.   
I pushed my index and middle finger to his head and focused all of my energy on my actions. I didn't exactly know what I was doing, but it was more of a reaction than anything.   
"Sigrid..." He started. I hushed him and continued to focus. He pressed his forehead to mine and that's when it happened. I sharply inhaled when I saw it. It's like I was in his mind. I could see everything he could. I understood where he was. The Vietnam war.   
He was on the frontlines. Bodies were dropping left and right. He kept looking over his shoulder at a man. A bullet hit the mans chest. He dropped. Klaus cried out his name and rushed to his side.   
More carnage filled my vision. I could see frequent flashbacks taking place at some club. The two of them being there. Klaus and Dave.   
Klaus pulled back and I was shot back into reality. I dropped my hands.   
"You saw it." He said weakly. I nodded. Tears came to my eyes. Klaus reached out with his bloody hands. I cropped his wrist and suddenly something else filled my vision.   
~  
I sat alone on the sofa. A cigarette was held in the corner of my mouth. Some random clothes were scattered on the floor. Chances are, they didn't belong to me.   
I had the radio on. I listened to talk radio, mainly just to fill the silence.   
"We've just got word of a dead man found in an alleyway." A voice interrupted.   
I felt an immediate panic in my chest. Tears began pouring from my eyes. I flicked the cigarette into the ashtray and grabbed my radio.   
"Please don't say it..." I mumbled to myself. My nose began to run as I sobbed.   
"It's a brunette male, looks to be in his late twenties. He has shoulder length-"  
I could breathe again. It wasn't him. He wasn't dead. For another minute I knew he was out there...breathing the same air as me. Living at the same time as me.   
~  
The bathroom returned to my vision. I crawled to a cabinet and grabbed a rag. I returned to the bath and began cleansing both of us of the muck.   
"Does that actually happen?" He asked me softly. I nodded.   
"Every time they say they found someone. Every. Single. Time. I think it's you. I think I've lost my best friend. I think I've lost the one person in this world that I would die for. And it's an absolute terror. I can't call you because you're never in one place. So it's like every time you step out of my window, it's possible that it could be the last time I see you." I explained. "You helped me get through all my family troubles. Now you're my only family, Klaus."  
He started to sob even harder. He pulled his hands from the rag I was using to clean the blood from them and reached out for me.   
"I'm sorry. I'll do better. This time I promise." He told me.   
He's said that so many times. Every time he's ended up in the hospital. Every time he wouldn't respond to me after I freak out. Every time I ask him for help.   
Only this time I believed him.   
"Tell me about Dave." I smiled as I continued cleaning muck from him.   
"There's too much to tell." He chuckled. "He's strong...so strong that I just felt so safe with him. Brave too. He was out there fighting in the front lines. And beautiful."  
I smiled. Klaus went on about how Dave made him feel. I listened to every word.   
"He was the only person beside you who I love more than myself. If they could've only taken me-"  
"Klaus. Stop thinking like that. Wishing for a different outcome won't help anything. You can only use that motivation to get better. What would Dave want you to do?" I placed the rag on top of his head.   
"I don't know." Tears formed in his eyes again. "How do I do this?"  
"I don't know how, but I know that we'll get through it together. You're my best friend."


End file.
